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Acts 22:3-30

Context
22:3 “I am a Jew,¹ born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up² in this city, educated with strictness³ under⁴ Gamaliel⁵ according to the law of our ancestors,⁶ and was⁷ zealous⁸ for God just as all of you are today. 22:4 I⁹ persecuted this Way¹⁰ even to the point of death,¹¹ tying up¹² both men and women and putting¹³ them in prison, 22:5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders¹⁴ can testify about me. From them¹⁵ I also received¹⁶ letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way¹⁷ to make arrests there and bring¹⁸ the prisoners¹⁹ to Jerusalem²⁰ to be punished. 22:6 As²¹ I was en route and near Damascus,²² about noon a very bright²³ light from heaven²⁴ suddenly flashed²⁵ around me. 22:7 Then I²⁶ fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 22:8 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ 22:9 Those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand²⁷ the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 22:10 So I asked,²⁸ ‘What should I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up²⁹ and go to Damascus; there you will be told about everything³⁰ that you have been designated³¹ to do.’ 22:11 Since I could not see because of³² the brilliance³³ of that light, I came to Damascus led by the hand of³⁴ those who were with me. 22:12 A man named Ananias,³⁵ a devout man according to the law,³⁶ well spoken of by all the Jews who live there,³⁷ 22:13 came³⁸ to me and stood beside me³⁹ and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’⁴⁰ And at that very moment⁴¹ I looked up and saw him.⁴² 22:14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors⁴³ has already chosen⁴⁴ you to know his will, to see⁴⁵ the Righteous One,⁴⁶ and to hear a command⁴⁷ from his mouth, 22:15 because you will be his witness⁴⁸ to all people⁴⁹ of what you have seen and heard. 22:16 And now what are you waiting for?⁵⁰ Get up,⁵¹ be baptized, and have your sins washed away,⁵² calling on his name.’⁵³ 22:17 When⁵⁴ I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance⁵⁵ 22:18 and saw the Lord⁵⁶ saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 22:19 I replied,⁵⁷ ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those in the various synagogues⁵⁸ who believed in you. 22:20 And when the blood of your witness⁵⁹ Stephen was shed,⁶⁰ I myself was standing nearby, approving,⁶¹ and guarding the cloaks⁶² of those who were killing him.’⁶³ 22:21 Then⁶⁴ he said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

The Roman Commander Questions Paul

22:22 The crowd⁶⁵ was listening to him until he said this.⁶⁶ Then⁶⁷ they raised their voices and shouted,⁶⁸ “Away with this man⁶⁹ from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!”⁷⁰ 22:23 While they were screaming⁷¹ and throwing off their cloaks⁷² and tossing dust⁷³ in the air, 22:24 the commanding officer⁷⁴ ordered Paul⁷⁵ to be brought back into the barracks.⁷⁶ He told them⁷⁷ to interrogate Paul⁷⁸ by beating him with a lash⁷⁹ so that he could find out the reason the crowd⁸⁰ was shouting at Paul⁸¹ in this way. 22:25 When they had stretched him out for the lash,⁸² Paul said to the centurion⁸³ standing nearby, “Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen⁸⁴ without a proper trial?”⁸⁵ 22:26 When the centurion⁸⁶ heard this,⁸⁷ he went to the commanding officer⁸⁸ and reported it,⁸⁹ saying, “What are you about to do?⁹⁰ For this man is a Roman citizen.”⁹¹ 22:27 So the commanding officer⁹² came and asked⁹³ Paul,⁹⁴ “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”⁹⁵ He replied,⁹⁶ “Yes.” 22:28 The commanding officer⁹⁷ answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.”⁹⁸ “But I was even⁹⁹ born a citizen,”¹⁰⁰ Paul replied.¹⁰¹ 22:29 Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away¹⁰² from him, and the commanding officer¹⁰³ was frightened when he realized that Paul¹⁰⁴ was¹⁰⁵ a Roman citizen¹⁰⁶ and that he had had him tied up.¹⁰⁷

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

22:30 The next day, because the commanding officer¹⁰⁸ wanted to know the true reason¹⁰⁹ Paul¹¹⁰ was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council¹¹¹ to assemble. He then brought¹¹² Paul down and had him stand before them.

[22:3] ¹tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[22:3] ²tn BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b has “of mental and spiritual nurture bring up, rear, train…ἀνατεθραμμένος ἐν τ. πόλει ταύτῃ 22:3.”

[22:3] ³tn Or “with precision.” Although often translated “strictly” this can be misunderstood for “solely” in English. BDAG 39 s.v. ἀκρίβεια gives the meaning as “exactness, precision.” To avoid the potential misunderstanding the translation “with strictness” is used, although it is slightly more awkward than “strictly.”

[22:3] ⁴tn Grk “strictly at the feet of” (an idiom).

[22:3] ⁵tn Or “brought up in this city under Gamaliel, educated with strictness…” The phrase παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Γαμαλιὴλ (para tou" poda" Gamalihl) could be understood with what precedes or with what follows. The punctuation of NA²⁷ and UBS⁴, which place a comma after ταύτῃ (tauth), has been followed in the translation.

[22:3] ⁶tn Or “our forefathers.”

[22:3] ⁷tn Grk “ancestors, being.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:3] ⁸tn BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.α has “of pers. …ζ. τοῦ θεοῦ one who is loyal to God Ac 22:3.”

[22:4] ⁹tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated by the first person pronoun (“I”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[22:4] ¹⁰sn That is, persecuted the Christian movement (Christianity). The Way is also used as a description of the Christian faith in Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22).

[22:4] ¹¹tn BDAG 442-43 s.v. θάνατος 1.a has “διώκειν ἄχρι θανάτου persecute even to death Ac 22:4.”

[22:4] ¹²tn Grk “binding.” See Acts 8:3.

[22:4] ¹³tn BDAG 762 s.v. παραδίδωμι 1.b has “W. local εἰς…εἰς φυλακήν put in prison Ac 8:3; cp. 22:4.”

[22:5] ¹⁷tn That is, the whole Sanhedrin. BDAG 861 s.v. πρεσβυτέριον has “an administrative group concerned with the interests of a specific community, council of elders – a. of the highest Judean council in Jerusalem, in our lit. usu. called συνέδριον…ὁ ἀρχιερεύς καὶ πᾶν τὸ πρ. Ac 22:5.”

[22:5] ¹⁸tn Grk “from whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[22:5] ¹⁹tn Grk “receiving.” The participle δεξάμενος (dexameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:5] ²⁰tn Grk “letters to the brothers, [and] I was going to Damascus.” Such a translation, however, might be confusing since the term “brother” is frequently used of a fellow Christian. In this context, Paul is speaking about fellow Jews.

[22:5] ²¹tn Grk “even there and bring…” or “there and even bring…” The ascensive καί (kai) shows that Paul was fervent in his zeal against Christians, but it is difficult to translate for it really belongs with the entire idea of arresting and bringing back the prisoners.

[22:5] ²²tn BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b has “δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά bring someone as prisoner…Ac 9:2, 21; 22:5.”

[22:5] ²³tn Grk “I was going…to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners that they might be punished.”

[22:6] ²⁵tn Grk “It happened that as.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[22:6] ²⁶tn Grk “going and nearing Damascus.”

[22:6] ²⁷tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.b has “φῶς a very bright light Ac 22:6.”

[22:6] ²⁸tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[22:6] ²⁹tn Or “shone.”

[22:7] ³³tn This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek using the connective τέ (te), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence a new sentence was begun in the translation here. To indicate the logical sequence for the modern English reader, τέ was translated as “then.”

[22:9] ⁴¹tn Grk “did not hear” (but see Acts 9:7). BDAG 38 s.v. ἀκούω 7 has “W. acc. τὸν νόμον understand the law Gal 4:21; perh. Ac 22:9; 26:14…belong here.” If the word has this sense here, then a metonymy is present, since the lack of effect is put for a failure to appreciate what was heard.

[22:10] ⁴⁹tn Grk “So I said.”

[22:10] ⁵⁰tn Grk “Getting up.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") is an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance and has been translated as a finite verb.

[22:10] ⁵¹tn Grk “about all things.”

[22:10] ⁵²tn Or “assigned,” “ordered.” BDAG 991 s.v. τάσσω 2.a has “act. and pass., foll. by acc. w. inf.…περὶ πάντων ὧν τέτακταί σοι ποιῆσαι concerning everything that you have been ordered to do 22:10.” There is an allusion to a divine call and commission here.

[22:11] ⁵⁷tn BDAG 106 s.v. ἀπό 5.a has “οὐκ ἐνέβλεπον ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τοῦ φωτός I could not see because of the brilliance of the light Ac 22:11.”

[22:11] ⁵⁸tn Or “brightness”; Grk “glory.”

[22:11] ⁵⁹tn Grk “by” (ὑπό, Jupo), but this would be too awkward in English following the previous “by.”

[22:12] ⁶⁵tn Grk “a certain Ananias.”

[22:12] ⁶⁶sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[22:12] ⁶⁷tn BDAG 534 s.v. κατοικέω 1.a translates this present participle “ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν (sc. ἐκεῖ) κατοικούντων ᾿Ιουδαίων by all the Jews who live there Ac 22:12.”

[22:13] ⁷³tn Grk “coming.” The participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13] ⁷⁴tn Grk “coming to me and standing beside [me] said to me.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13] ⁷⁵tn Grk “Brother Saul, look up” (here an idiom for regaining one’s sight). BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναβλέπω places this usage under 1, “look up Ac 22:13a. W. εἰς αὐτόν to show the direction of the glance…22:13b; but perh. this vs. belongs under 2a.” BDAG 59 s.v. 2.a.α states, “of blind persons, who were formerly able to see, regain sight.” The problem for the translator is deciding between the literal and the idiomatic usage and at the same time attempting to retain the wordplay in Acts 22:13: “[Ananias] said to me, ‘Look up!’ and at that very moment I looked up to him.” The assumption of the command is that the effort to look up will be worth it (through the regaining of sight).

[22:13] ⁷⁶tn Grk “hour,” but ὥρα (Jwra) is often used for indefinite short periods of time (so BDAG 1102-3 s.v. ὥρα 2.c: “αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ at that very time, at once, instantly…Lk 2:38, 24:33; Ac 16:18; 22:13”). A comparison with the account in Acts 9:18 indicates that this is clearly the meaning here.

[22:13] ⁷⁷tn Grk “I looked up to him.”

[22:14] ⁸¹tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[22:14] ⁸²tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance’…‘the God of our ancestors has already chosen you to know his will’ Ac 22:14.”

[22:14] ⁸³tn Grk “and to see.” This καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[22:14] ⁸⁴sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ (Acts 3:14).

[22:14] ⁸⁵tn Or “a solemn declaration”; Grk “a voice.” BDAG 1071-72 s.v. φωνή 2.c states, “that which the voice gives expression to: call, cry, outcry, loud or solemn declaration (… = order, command)…Cp. 22:14; 24:21.”

[22:15] ⁸⁹tn Or “a witness to him.”

[22:15] ⁹⁰tn Grk “all men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[22:16] ⁹⁷tn L&N 67.121 has “to extend time unduly, with the implication of lack of decision – ‘to wait, to delay.’ νῦν τί μέλλεις… ἀναστὰς βάπτισαι ‘what are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized’ Ac 22:16.”

[22:16] ⁹⁸tn Grk “getting up.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") is an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance and has been translated as a finite verb.

[22:16] ⁹⁹sn The expression have your sins washed away means “have your sins purified” (the washing is figurative).

[22:16] ¹⁰⁰sn The expression calling on his name describes the confession of the believer: Acts 2:17-38, esp. v. 38; Rom 10:12-13; 1 Cor 1:2.

[22:17] ¹⁰⁵tn Grk “It happened to me that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[22:17] ¹⁰⁶tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἔκστασις 2 has “γενέσθαι ἐν ἐκστάσει fall into a trance Ac 22:17.”

[22:18] ¹¹³tn Or “Jesus”; Grk “him.” The referent (the Lord, cf. v. 19) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:19] ¹²¹tn Grk “And I said.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai, in καγώ [kagw]) has not been translated here.

[22:19] ¹²²tn For the distributive sense of the expression κατὰ τὰς συναγωγάς (kata ta" sunagwga") BDAG 512 s.v. κατά B.1.d has “of places viewed serially, distributive use w. acc.…κατ᾿ οἶκαν from house to house…Ac 2:46b; 5:42…Likew. the pl.…κ. τὰς συναγωγάς 22:19.” See also L&N 37.114.

[22:20] ¹²⁹sn Now Paul referred to Stephen as your witness, and he himself had also become a witness. The reversal was now complete; the opponent had now become a proponent.

[22:20] ¹³⁰sn When the blood of your witness Stephen was shed means “when your witness Stephen was murdered.”

[22:20] ¹³¹tn Grk “and approving.” This καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[22:20] ¹³²tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:20] ¹³³tn Or “who were putting him to death.” For the translation of ἀναιρούντων (anairountwn) as “putting to death” see BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω 2.

[22:21] ¹³⁷tn Grk “And.” Since this represents a response to Paul’s reply in v. 19, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[22:22] ¹⁴⁵tn Grk “They were listening”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:22] ¹⁴⁶tn Grk “until this word.”

[22:22] ¹⁴⁷tn Grk “And.” To indicate the logical sequence, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” here.

[22:22] ¹⁴⁸tn Grk “and said.”

[22:22] ¹⁴⁹tn Grk “this one.”

[22:22] ¹⁵⁰tn BDAG 491 s.v. καθήκω has “to be appropriate, come/reach to, be proper/fitting…Usu. impers. καθήκει it comes (to someone)…foll. by acc. and inf….οὐ καθῆκεν αὐτὸν ζῆν he should not be allowed to live Ac 22:22.”

[22:23] ¹⁵³tn The participle κραυγαζόντων (kraugazontwn) has been translated temporally.

[22:23] ¹⁵⁴tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:23] ¹⁵⁵sn The crowd’s act of tossing dust in the air indicated they had heard something disturbing and offensive. This may have been a symbolic gesture, indicating Paul’s words deserved to be thrown to the wind, or it may have simply resulted from the fact they had nothing else to throw at him at the moment.

[22:24] ¹⁶¹tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[22:24] ¹⁶²tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24] ¹⁶³tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[22:24] ¹⁶⁴tn Grk “into the barracks, saying.” This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek using the participle εἴπας (eipas), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence a new sentence was begun in the translation here. The direct object “them” has been supplied; it is understood in Greek.

[22:24] ¹⁶⁵tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24] ¹⁶⁶sn To interrogate Paul by beating him with a lash. Under the Roman legal system it was customary to use physical torture to extract confessions or other information from prisoners who were not Roman citizens and who were charged with various crimes, especially treason or sedition. The lashing would be done with a whip of leather thongs with pieces of metal or bone attached to the ends.

[22:24] ¹⁶⁷tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24] ¹⁶⁸tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:25] ¹⁶⁹tn Grk “for the thongs” (of which the lash was made). Although often translated as a dative of means (“with thongs”), referring to thongs used to tie the victim to the whipping post, BDAG 474-75 s.v. ἱμάς states that it “is better taken as a dat. of purpose for the thongs, in which case οἱ ἱμάντες = whips (Posidonius: 87 fgm. 5 Jac.; POxy. 1186, 2 τὴν διὰ τῶν ἱμάντων αἰκείαν. – Antiphanes 74, 8, Demosth. 19, 197 and Artem. 1, 70 use the sing. in this way).”

[22:25] ¹⁷⁰sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:25] ¹⁷¹tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:25] ¹⁷²tn Or “a Roman citizen and uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[22:26] ¹⁷⁷sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:26] ¹⁷⁸tn The word “this” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[22:26] ¹⁷⁹tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:26] ¹⁸⁰tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[22:26] ¹⁸¹tn Or perhaps, “What do you intend to do?” Although BDAG 627 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.α lists this phrase under the category “be about to, be on the point of,” it is possible it belongs under 1.c.γ, “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…τί μέλλεις ποιεῖν; what do you intend to do?”

[22:26] ¹⁸²tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27] ¹⁸⁵tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:27] ¹⁸⁶tn Grk “and said to.”

[22:27] ¹⁸⁷tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:27] ¹⁸⁸tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27] ¹⁸⁹tn Grk “He said.”

[22:28] ¹⁹³tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:28] ¹⁹⁴sn Sometimes Roman citizenship was purchased through a bribe (Dio Cassius, Roman History 60.17.4-9). That may well have been the case here.

[22:28] ¹⁹⁵tn BDAG 495-96 s.v. καί 2.b has “intensive: even…Ac 5:39; 22:28.”

[22:28] ¹⁹⁶tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:28] ¹⁹⁷tn Grk “Paul said.” This phrase has been placed at the end of the sentence in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:29] ²⁰¹tn BDAG 158 s.v. ἀφίστημι 2.b has “keep away…ἀπό τινος… Lk 4:13; Ac 5:38; 2 Cor 12:8…cp. Ac 22:29.” In context, the point would seem to be not that the interrogators departed or withdrew, but that they held back from continuing the flogging.

[22:29] ²⁰²tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:29] ²⁰³tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:29] ²⁰⁴tn This is a present tense (ἐστιν, estin) retained in indirect discourse. It must be translated as a past tense in contemporary English.

[22:29] ²⁰⁵tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:29] ²⁰⁶sn Had him tied up. Perhaps a reference to the chains in Acts 21:33, or the preparations for the lashing in Acts 22:25. A trial would now be needed to resolve the matter. The Roman authorities’ hesitation to render a judgment in the case occurs repeatedly: Acts 22:30; 23:28-29; 24:22; 25:20, 26-27. The legal process begun here would take the rest of Acts and will be unresolved at the end. The process itself took four years of Paul’s life.

[22:30] ²⁰⁹tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[22:30] ²¹⁰tn Grk “the certainty, why.” BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2 has “τὸ ἀ. the certainty = the truth (in ref. to ferreting out the facts…ἵνα τὸ ἀ. ἐπιγνῶ) γνῶναι 21:34; 22:30.”

[22:30] ²¹¹tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:30] ²¹²tn Grk “the whole Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[22:30] ²¹³tn Grk “and bringing.” The participle καταγαγών (katagagwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to clarify the logical sequence.